Museums Are Returning Artifacts to Their Countries of Origin. But Maybe They Shouldn’t Be.

Guest: Tiffany Jenkins, Author of “Keeping Their Marbles: How the Treasures of the Past Ended Up in Museums…and Why They Should Stay There”

In the wake of Brexit, Britain is working out a free trade deal with the European Union. But Greece is refusing to sign on unless there’s a clause in the agreement that forces Britain to give back some marble statues taken from the Parthenon two hundred years ago. The Elgin Marbles are on display in London’s British Museum, but they’re only the most prominent example of antiquities in museums all over the world that were taken as spoils of war or plundered from palaces during colonial times. There’s a growing debate in the museum world about whether those items should be sent back to their countries of origin. (Originally aired 5/15/2019)

 

UTS: California Apologizes for Helping With WWII Internment of Japanese Americans

Guest: Naomi Hirahara and Heather C. Lindquist, Co-Authors of “Life After Manzanar”

California lawmakers this week unanimously passed a resolution apologizing for the state’s role in the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. About 120,000 people – mostly US citizens – were rounded up after the attack on Pearl Harbor and imprisoned for the rest of the war. But their troubles didn’t end when they were released. Those stories are told in the book “Life After Manzanar” – Manzanar was one of two WWII internment camps in California. (Originally aired 5/9/2018)